1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of swimming pools and the heating and maintenance thereof. More particularly, the invention comprises a device for folding swimming pool solar cover designed such that a single individual can easily fold and store said solar cover.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For a number of reasons, swimming pool owners find it desirable to keep their pool covered when not in use. A cover provides a safety measure, aids in keeping debris out of the pool, and especially in the case of a solar cover, provides solar gain for heating of the pool. By virtue of the size of swimming pools, however, covers are typically hard to manipulate, especially in a home environment where an individual may typically have to handle the cover alone.
A number of devices for aiding in the handling of swimming pool covers exist, but they are typically designed for use with an in ground pool where the device can mount on or roll along the apron around the pool. Most above ground pools, however, do not have an apron, presenting a unique problem in covering/ uncovering them.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,811, issued to David D. Hoff on Sep. 24, 1996, relates to a device comprising a pair of tubes deployed across the width of a floating, buoyant swimming pool cover, one across the lower surface and one across the upper surface thereof, and joined together at each end. In a second embodiment, a single tube is deployed across the upper surface of the cover and secured to each side by adjustable clips. In either embodiment, a crank mounted at one end of the tubes is used to crank the floating cover onto the drum created by the tubes. Unlike the present invention, room is required along the side of the pool for operating the crank.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,370, issued to Joe A. Budd on Apr. 1, 1980, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,370, issued to Wayne Guard, et. al., on Apr. 13, 1982, relate to devices employing wheeled carriages which roll along the apron on either side of a pool with a roller mounted between said carriages for holding the cover as it is wound onto said roller. Budd and Guard are functional with an in ground pool with an adjacent apron, but the absence of an apron in an above ground pool does not allow a surface upon which the carriages may roll. The present invention, on the other hand, is flexible enough that it can be used in either an in ground or above ground pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,930,issued to Jiri Kalendovsky on May 11, 1982, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,978, issued to Douglas I. Farrington on Aug. 28, 1984 relate to devices consisting of a pair of stands between which is mounted a reel onto which a pool cover is wound. Said stands are free standing and could be adjusted for use with either an in ground or above ground pool, but unlike the present invention which has only one piece, Kalendovsky and Farrington require considerably more space for storage when not in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,500, issued to Robert E. Long, et. al., on Sep. 18, 1984, refers to a self rolling swimming pool cover wherein water flowing into flexible conduits on the under side of a buoyant cover forces said cover to unroll along the surface of the pool and tension springs force said cover to recoil when pressure is released from said conduits. Said cover is at least a semi-permanently installed cover operating on pressure supplied by the recirculating pump of the pool""s filtration system, and unlike the present invention, with which the cover can be completely removed from the pool, said cover must occupy the space along one end of the pool at all times when in the rolled position.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention provides an inexpensive and convenient method for folding and storing a buoyant solar cover as is frequently floated on the surface of a swimming pool.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an inexpensive device for folding, storing and unfolding a solar swimming pool cover.
It is another object of the invention to provide a light weight device for folding, storing and unfolding a solar swimming pool cover.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a solar cover folding device which can be stored in a compact configuration when not in use.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a solar cover folding device which is adjustable to accommodate covers of various sizes.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a device for folding, storing and unfolding a solar swimming pool cover which can easily be used by a single individual.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.